On the Fence Note 4 vs iPhone 6 Plus

[stanw]

I honestly do not know. What I do know though is that I have had the Note3 for a year now, and the camera is awful, terrible, sometimes worthless, and I have read lots of glowing reviews of it, and read people on forums discuss how great it is, though there are also lots of people talking about how bad it is, so I am very selective with reviews of the cameras on devices. I think some people just do not shoot in low light or some do not have a good idea for what makes a photo grainy/soft, etc.

I know the iPhone camera in the 5s was better then my Note3, and I have a feeling that the 6+ will be better than the Note4, but I need to wait for reviews from not just a techie who gets a boner for the camera specs on paper, like the fact it shoots 4k, but for actual usage....

Is the iphone 6+ camera that good in low light? Because the review I saw comparing s5, ip6 and ip6+ rated the S5 best in low light. It also showed that the ios on the ip6+ made no difference compared to regular ip6

 

[Markyboy81]

I honestly do not know. What I do know though is that I have had the Note3 for a year now, and the camera is awful, terrible, sometimes worthless, and I have read lots of glowing reviews of it, and read people on forums discuss how great it is, though there are also lots of people talking about how bad it is, so I am very selective with reviews of the cameras on devices. I think some people just do not shoot in low light or some do not have a good idea for what makes a photo grainy/soft, etc.

I know the iPhone camera in the 5s was better then my Note3, and I have a feeling that the 6+ will be better than the Note4, but I need to wait for reviews from not just a techie who gets a boner for the camera specs on paper, like the fact it shoots 4k, but for actual usage....

You're right, the camera in low light isn't great on the note 3, but to be honest it's not great on any camera phone.
Some people get good results with some phones in some conditions but there are often sacrifices. OIS helps to keep the camera still to enable the shutter to stay open for longer, but this is only effective for objects that aren't moving.
Samsung has the stabilisation mode that works to make the picture brighter, but doesn't actually improve quality.
I also don't like using any flash as this tends to be too intense.
Overall I'm happy with the note 3 camera in good light but would choose a proper big sensor camera every time where I'm able. What is disappointing with the note 3 camera is the lack of any macro mode.
Hoping the note 4 adds this back in and improves overall performance.

 

[stanw]

I accept that no camera phone is going to perform excellent in low light, though my Note3 pics are worthless in low light, and by low light I'm talking about inside my house with rooms that do not have very bright lights, not in dark rooms. I also do not use flash because of the harshness of the light that also affects the photos negatively...

perhaps the iPhone is the same, I really do not know? I have a feeling it can't be worst then what I've experienced over the past year with the Note3 though...

Here's to hoping that something drastic has changed with the camera in the note4, that will make my upgrade decision soooooo much easier.

You're right, the camera in low light isn't great on the note 3, but to be honest it's not great on any camera phone.
Some people get good results with some phones in some conditions but there are often sacrifices. OIS helps to keep the camera still to enable the shutter to stay open for longer, but this is only effective for objects that aren't moving.
Samsung has the stabilisation mode that works to make the picture brighter, but doesn't actually improve quality.
I also don't like using any flash as this tends to be too intense.
Overall I'm happy with the note 3 camera in good light but would choose a proper big sensor camera every time where I'm able. What is disappointing with the note 3 camera is the lack of any macro mode.
Hoping the note 4 adds this back in and improves overall performance.

 

[Markyboy81]

I accept that no camera phone is going to perform excellent in low light, though my Note3 pics are worthless in low light, and by low light I'm talking about inside my house with rooms that do not have very bright lights, not in dark rooms. I also do not use flash because of the harshness of the light that also affects the photos negatively...

perhaps the iPhone is the same, I really do not know? I have a feeling it can't be worst then what I've experienced over the past year with the Note3 though...

Here's to hoping that something drastic has changed with the camera in the note4, that will make my upgrade decision soooooo much easier.

My note 3 doesn't take good shots in low light but I wouldn't say it's worthless. When you say the pictures are bad, in what way are they? Blurry/ soft? For some reason the slowest shutter speed seems to be 1/17 of a second and no way to change this even by adjusting the iso. So in low light it's useless if the subject moves.

 

[stanw]

I'd say my pics end up being very grainy, soft and lacking detail with my subject still or moving with the Note3 cam in low light. I do not remember the Note2 cam being as bad and I remember my iPhone4S from 3 years ago performing much better in low light. I reach for the dslr whenever I can, though that is not always practical...

 

[pdqgp]

I honestly do not know. What I do know though is that I have had the Note3 for a year now, and the camera is awful, terrible, sometimes worthless, and I have read lots of glowing reviews of it, and read people on forums discuss how great it is, though there are also lots of people talking about how bad it is, so I am very selective with reviews of the cameras on devices. I think some people just do not shoot in low light or some do not have a good idea for what makes a photo grainy/soft, etc.

I know the iPhone camera in the 5s was better then my Note3, and I have a feeling that the 6+ will be better than the Note4, but I need to wait for reviews from not just a techie who gets a boner for the camera specs on paper, like the fact it shoots 4k, but for actual usage....

I'm biased in a lot of ways given one of my income streams but to say the camera on the Note 3 is aweful/terrible and worthless is not accurate. Knowing your gear and limitations is key no doubt but even in lower light the images are usable and not worthless. If you go into a bar, club or dinner scene expecting 8x10's out of any phone I'd say that's mistake one. Bring the right gear for what you want to shoot and for what the end product is going to be displayed with.

In reality the Note 3 is just fine for ambient light indoors where there's no flash required for the intended shot. IMO I see a lot of complaints about noise, lack of detail, etc in situations where just about any phone would struggle and where in reality the user has made some poor choices in both equipment and exposure. Again, don't take any cell phone to a kids school play shot in a church and expect DSLR or dedicated video camera quality.

Perhaps we need to start a thread of images for these comparisons. What I do know will show through is no different than any camera, and that is the person pressing the button has more to do with the end result than the gear itself.

 

[stanw]

I agree with all that you said. Perhaps I need to see some low light shots from an iPhone to see that the Note3 is on par. Perhaps my expectations are just too high? I am referring to taking photos in my house with the available light, which is not always really bright...

I'm biased in a lot of ways given one of my income streams but to say the camera on the Note 3 is aweful/terrible and worthless is not accurate. Knowing your gear and limitations is key no doubt but even in lower light the images are usable and not worthless. If you go into a bar, club or dinner scene expecting 8x10's out of any phone I'd say that's mistake one. Bring the right gear for what you want to shoot and for what the end product is going to be displayed with.

In reality the Note 3 is just fine for ambient light indoors where there's no flash required for the intended shot. IMO I see a lot of complaints about noise, lack of detail, etc in situations where just about any phone would struggle and where in reality the user has made some poor choices in both equipment and exposure. Again, don't take any cell phone to a kids school play shot in a church and expect DSLR or dedicated video camera quality.

Perhaps we need to start a thread of images for these comparisons. What I do know will show through is no different than any camera, and that is the person pressing the button has more to do with the end result than the gear itself.

 

[pdqgp]

I agree with all that you said. Perhaps I need to see some low light shots from an iPhone to see that the Note3 is on par. Perhaps my expectations are just too high? I am referring to taking photos in my house with the available light, which is not always really bright...

First, thanks for the reply. I apologize if my post seemed at all personal or blunt. Not my intention, but after re-reading it, I was going to edit it.

I agree, it will be interesting to see real world results and more than just bench testing. As a photographer I'm always anxious to see new gear but more importantly how it is used and transforms the use of devices in our lives. Smartphones truly have brought new life into photography in ways that even camera companies couldn't accomplish with devices that are often better and cheaper.

That said, it while we all go around on these forums splitting hairs over quality, features and details, the fact that billions of photos are taken daily with cell phones over cameras, just goes to show that it's not the best quality or highly spec'd out gear that drives people in making a choice to use something. So in the end, regardless of which smart phone takes a better photo, the end result of which one is used, isn't necessarily based on image quality. In fact there's no truer statement than the best camera to use is the one you have with you.

I'll try and post some nice shots from various phones up in the coming days. Need to get one of my iP6s in too.

 

[stanw]

I'm not a photographer, though I do have a 5DM3, so I have a basic understanding of digital photography.

I'd very much like to see some comparisons of the same low light shots from a 5S, Note3, S5, Note4, iPhone6+ that would be interesting....

First, thanks for the reply. I apologize if my post seemed at all personal or blunt. Not my intention, but after re-reading it, I was going to edit it.

I agree, it will be interesting to see real world results and more than just bench testing. As a photographer I'm always anxious to see new gear but more importantly how it is used and transforms the use of devices in our lives. Smartphones truly have brought new life into photography in ways that even camera companies couldn't accomplish with devices that are often better and cheaper.

That said, it while we all go around on these forums splitting hairs over quality, features and details, the fact that billions of photos are taken daily with cell phones over cameras, just goes to show that it's not the best quality or highly spec'd out gear that drives people in making a choice to use something. So in the end, regardless of which smart phone takes a better photo, the end result of which one is used, isn't necessarily based on image quality. In fact there's no truer statement than the best camera to use is the one you have with you.

I'll try and post some nice shots from various phones up in the coming days. Need to get one of my iP6s in too.

 

[Markyboy81]

I agree with all that you said. Perhaps I need to see some low light shots from an iPhone to see that the Note3 is on par. Perhaps my expectations are just too high? I am referring to taking photos in my house with the available light, which is not always really bright...

Could the relatively high res screen of the note 3 be a factor? It may show up a lot of the imperfections more readily.
The best camera in a phone I ever had was the 808 pureview, but couldn't use it as an everyday phone. But even that suffered in low light.

 

[stanw]

I have all of my photos instantly uploaded to Dropbox where I access them on my Macs, and they look just as bad, if not worse when viewing them on a larger screen.

 

[stanw]

well, here we go, I just found this, and it supports my frustration with the Note3 any my concerns about the Note4 since it uses the same cam as s5...check out the low light testing, this is what I keep referring to:

http://gizmodo.com/the-best-smartphone-camera-iphone-6-edition-1637751507

 

[Chodite]

Not sure about the Note 3 camera complaints. Mine seems to take respectable low-light photos and with good lighting, I couldn't be more happy. Just took this over the weekend. No filter/enhancements:

 

[jamesrick80]

Not sure about the Note 3 camera complaints. Mine seems to take respectable low-light photos and with good lighting, I couldn't be more happy. Just took this over the weekend. No filter/enhancements:

Image

Beautiful picture, looks great on my iPad air....I can't wait to get my note 4

 

[pdqgp]

well, here we go, I just found this, and it supports my frustration with the Note3 any my concerns about the Note4 since it uses the same cam as s5...check out the low light testing, this is what I keep referring to:

http://gizmodo.com/the-best-smartphone-camera-iphone-6-edition-1637751507

viewing the test strips on an iPad vs my studio PC is a bit tough but I will reply later tonight when home with samples and some insight/advice for you. Thanks for the link.

 

[stanw]

There are links on that page to download the full res photos also...

viewing the test strips on an iPad vs my studio PC is a bit tough but I will reply later tonight when home with samples and some insight/advice for you. Thanks for the link.

 

[pdqgp]

Intersting findings

There are links on that page to download the full res photos also...

I had a feeling the findings would yield intersting results. I will cover the basics here and if there are any questions, please just ask.

The image you had in question of the beer bottles in low light show evidence of an incorrect testing procedure but nonetheless also prove the Galaxy S5 actually beats out the iPhone 6 in this example.

First, in low light testing, they should have had the cameras tested in the same ISO range and used the same exposure modes but they likely just fired the cameras in full auto mode so I'll give them a break even though they are critical points. Even so, the S5 can have the metering adjusted so they flubbed up by having it center point average vs the iPhone which metered in full matrix mode.

As I have indicated in other replies, the ISO of the iPhone 6 tends to be lower in many of these comparisons because it has the advantage of OIS. The S5 does not.

Notice in the labels I've added to the images how far different they are. There's a huge difference on small sensors like this when you go to from ISO 1250 to 2000.

Also notice the first image is of a 100% crop from both cameras, thus the S5 shows a larger scaled image with 5mp more details.

The second image is that of the S5 scaled down to 8pm to match the iPhone 6. As I noted earlier the camera and sensor are actually very good and the noise and processing averages out excellently. This averaging is exactly what happens when prints are made thus onscreen and in prints the benefits will still be seen. Prints also show far less noise as well.

In the end, the S5 with a much higher ISO setting beats out the iPhone 6 in this low light test.

Of course when viewing the below, please insure you're looking at the full size image.


Image 1: 100% crops from both

No surprise here the S5 yields noticeable detail advantages and the iPhone exhibits quite noticable loss of detail likely from noise reduction.

Image 2: Both images at 8mp Size

As I've noted before in other posts too, the Samsung S5 like the Note 3 suffers from aggressive jpeg processing resulting in what looks to be over sharpening of the images. That's easy fix (not done to this image though) by simply applying a slight amount of blur to soften the edges and reduce the impact.

 

[stanw]

Thanks for taking the time to do this pdqgp, I will go through it and respond later.

 

[mellofello]

Just found out that our company is changing cellphone providers. We have to pay outright for phones and rumor is we will all get $500 credit for whatever phone we want.

Looks like I won't have to decide and will run the note 4 and 6+.

Time to go shop for some baggier pants and, or xl fanny pack to tote them around lol.

 

[pdqgp]

Thanks for taking the time to do this pdqgp, I will go through it and respond later.

Here's another quick shot I did playing around about an hour ago. My daughter was just thrilled to be the subject

ISO 1000 handheld with a slow shutter, so it's not quite as sharp as could be. OIS on the Note 4 will both lower the ISO and help with clarity. The detail and lack of noise however is pretty good.

 

[corriewf]

Got a chance to play around with a note 4 today at best buy and WOW!

The screen is absolutely amazing. It looked like an LCD when displaying white colors, but had the blacks of an AMOLED. Played a hd video of animals and it looked like they came off the screen! Touchwiz was smooth. I did struggle a little bit when minimizing applications with swiping from the corner.. I think the issue was more with me and less with touchwiz. I don't know how to use the feature and was tooling around.

I was able to go back and forth between the iphone 6 and the note 4. The Note made the iPhone feel and look lackluster. The note is so much easier to hold and just looks so much more premium than the iPhone.

To be quite honest, I've been looking for an excuse to get the iPhone. Im a mobile gamer (they do exist) and the ios App Store has a better offering. Family share in ios8 is another great added feature. All I needed was the note 4 to just be OK for me to justify an iPhone 6 plus purchase. It doesn't help that my wife, an avid Apple fan girl loves the note over the iPhone.

On a side note. The Galaxy Alpha was also quite impressive! Very very sleek looking! I dare say it's better looking than the iPhone 5, and for me that's saying a lot! I loved the iPhone 5 design.

 

[OceanView]

Got a chance to play around with a note 4 today at best buy and WOW!

The screen is absolutely amazing. It looked like an LCD when displaying white colors, but had the blacks of an AMOLED. Played a hd video of animals and it looked like they came off the screen! Touchwiz was smooth. I did struggle a little bit when minimizing applications with swiping from the corner.. I think the issue was more with me and less with touchwiz. I don't know how to use the feature and was tooling around.

I was able to go back and forth between the iphone 6 and the note 4. The Note made the iPhone feel and look lackluster. The note is so much easier to hold and just looks so much more premium than the iPhone.

To be quite honest, I've been looking for an excuse to get the iPhone. Im a mobile gamer (they do exist) and the ios App Store has a better offering. Family share in ios8 is another great added feature. All I needed was the note 4 to just be OK for me to justify an iPhone 6 plus purchase. It doesn't help that my wife, an avid Apple fan girl loves the note over the iPhone.

On a side note. The Galaxy Alpha was also quite impressive! Very very sleek looking! I dare say it's better looking than the iPhone 5, and for me that's saying a lot! I loved the iPhone 5 design.

That's encouraging news. I've yet to see the Note 4 in my local area but I am definitely interested in seeing it in person before purchasing it over the 6+

 

[Oohara]

Got a chance to play around with a note 4 today at best buy and WOW!

The screen is absolutely amazing. It looked like an LCD when displaying white colors, but had the blacks of an AMOLED. Played a hd video of animals and it looked like they came off the screen! Touchwiz was smooth. I did struggle a little bit when minimizing applications with swiping from the corner.. I think the issue was more with me and less with touchwiz. I don't know how to use the feature and was tooling around.

I was able to go back and forth between the iphone 6 and the note 4. The Note made the iPhone feel and look lackluster. The note is so much easier to hold and just looks so much more premium than the iPhone.

To be quite honest, I've been looking for an excuse to get the iPhone. Im a mobile gamer (they do exist) and the ios App Store has a better offering. Family share in ios8 is another great added feature. All I needed was the note 4 to just be OK for me to justify an iPhone 6 plus purchase. It doesn't help that my wife, an avid Apple fan girl loves the note over the iPhone.

On a side note. The Galaxy Alpha was also quite impressive! Very very sleek looking! I dare say it's better looking than the iPhone 5, and for me that's saying a lot! I loved the iPhone 5 design.

Mobile gamer here as well. Note 4 for daily driver (Android isn't totally barren for gaming after all...), iPad/mini for gaming that's how I look at it now. Also need a iOS device for music making apps but yeah, I'm fine with not having that in my pocket 24/7.

 

[corriewf]

Well, it's a done deal. I preordered the note 4 today. I couldn't justify the amount of money required for the iPhone 6+ vs $100 for note 4... In conjunction with all of the features the note 4 has. Maybe the iPhone 7 will make a better package for the phablet to match what Samsung has done.

Im quite content with my $200 from trading in my iPhone 4 and $200 for trading in my Samsung Captivate. It's like im getting paid to upgrade my phone this year!

 

[OceanView]

Well, it's a done deal. I preordered the note 4 today. I couldn't justify the amount of money required for the iPhone 6+ vs $100 for note 4... In conjunction with all of the features the note 4 has. Maybe the iPhone 7 will make a better package for the phablet to match what Samsung has done.

Im quite content with my $200 from trading in my iPhone 4 and $200 for trading in my Samsung Captivate. It's like im getting paid to upgrade my phone this year!

Congrats.

Wait, you got $400 ? How? and which carrier?